Pki, in my "list of options", I forgot to mention my long hiking stick. It is helpful in discouraging a large aggressive dog...using the big business end as a club, or a sharp poke with the thinner end. Never tried it on a bear or 2 legged variety, tho. The bear might just eat it...then me...the 2 legged would probably take it away & use it on me. NOT LOL! The "little friend" will need to be a backup...in that case. (I have found I can shoot more effectively than I can do hand to hand combat.) But that's just me, as a little ol' white hair lady! LOL! Evelyn.

Pki, in my "list of options", I forgot to mention my long hiking stick. It is helpful in discouraging a large aggressive dog...using the big business end as a club, or a sharp poke with the thinner end. -- snip -- as a little ol' white hair lady! LOL! Evelyn.

As a little old white hared lady, you seem to have the advantage of surprise on your side. Not a bad approach. The hiking stick is quick to hand and that is another advantage. Wonder if a more substantial umbrella would be an advantage. Thanks for mentioning your walking stick.

Good physical condition as Kuff suggests, has got to be a good idea. We find the RV lifestyle great in improving condition and muscle tone. Washing dishes is more activity than using the dishwasher at home. The dogs get more and longer walks when we travel. Setup and take down is more activity than being a couch potato. Get out and do it - nice ring to that!

Spent some time looking at the Taser/tazer/stun gun options. The Taser is a brand that shoots a pair of probes. The stun gun type device is produced by several manufacturers and uses a pair of fixed electrodes. The Taser device is more expensive - $400-800. It also has some maintenance cost associated with storage and operation. Note the battery function. The stun gun can be as inexpensive as $20, but likely there is a case of you get what you pay. But, even the higher priced spread is not excessive when compared to a generator, quality hitch, or set of tires.

Still waiting on the request for info on the best Bear Spray solution - Counter Attack is my guess, but the word is not in yet. Kind of like the design of the home version of the Sabre Red pepper spray. Looks a lot like the Canadian spray bottle of oven cleaner discussed earlier. Easy to hand, I suspect.

And Pro suggested the use of a fire extinguisher. That is a great idea. The little one that comes on the trailer needs an upgrade to one with a bit more capacity, but the small one is very easy to handle. Too bad we don't still use the CO2 units. One of those would make a good club if you had the strength.

An article in the Sacramento Bee today indicates that tasers are unreliable. They achieve the result of incapacitating the intended target only 53% of the time, when used by trained law enforcement officers. Mental illness or drug use, among other factors, can render the shock delivered by the device ineffective.

This is the cite, although I don't know if I've pasted it correctly. [URL]http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/SacBee/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=MSB%2F2016%2F04%2F02&entity=A r00703&sk=6B4927B8[URL]

Police consider this as one in an escalating chain of weapons to be used to subdue a suspect. I would not feel comfortable using this as a standalone weapon for self defense, although I suppose, as with my earlier post on pocket sized containers of pepper spray, it is probably better than nothing.

I suppose that with the Taser product, you could miss the target or the subject could have clothing that was not penetrated by the probe. With the other designs the device is reusable for multiple hits. However, heavy clothing might well blunt the effect of a fixed probe device as well.

Would think the objective is to discourage the aggressor long enough to get away, so not sure the true measure is incapacitating the target. The police have a different objective and need a different outcome. Understand that the ability to get away might be impaired by our physical condition and the environment of the event. In those cases the objective would likely escalate to incapacitating the target.

Would think the objective is to discourage the aggressor long enough to get away, so not sure the true measure is incapacitating the target.

Incapacitation is the only way to be sure you can get away. The second rule of fighting is, if you get your opponent down at all, do whatever it takes to make sure he stays down— because if he can get back up before you're gone, you're in for a world of trouble.

For the curious, the first rule is, never hit someone with your fist if you can hit him with something harder. The third rule is, don't fight at all unless you're willing to get hurt, because even the winner is going to hurt.

Bold, I've heard the cliche ''I love them to death'', but never witness it at work Let Karma do the dirty work. Karma shows no mercy. I've seen it work...I'm sure we all have. Bad things seem to happen to bad people...so be good everyone. And the ones that escape Karma, they will be dealt with in the afterlife.

My takeaway from a recently viewed movie…

"Karma is justice without the satisfaction. But I don't believe in justice"

Indeed, bad things do happen to bad people...sometimes, however, it appears that bad things happen more frequently to GOOD people. Criminals are specifically a major causative factor in bad things done to good people,and these ammoral jerks always look for the weakest, most vulnerable folks to victimize.

My Mom always told me...".walk soft and carry a big stick...and use it if someone bothers you, but, don't be gentle...hit 'em where it hurts the most, then do it again till they leave you alone!"

My Mom was a sweet little 5 ft Irish lady, soft spoken and gentile....but, you did not want to "get her Irish Up!" I am replica of my Mom. She was my hero! Still is! Dady used to P... her off, jokingly, of course, because he said he loved to see those Blue Irish eyes flashing! Mom was Not amused.

I have enjoyed reading this thread however I have yet to decide what is the best defensive weapon.

There is no "best." The trick is to see the potential for defensive use in whatever you have handy at the time. Even car keys or a belt can be a defensive weapon, with a little imagination and foresight.

The bear spray info came through today and ..... wait for it ..... OK, no surprise. The "Counter Attack" is the recommendation. It is available from REI, so we'll see what good old CA allows us to purchase.

Still trying to understand the difference between bear and people sprays. Bears are bigger, which suggests something stronger is needed, but something less strong might have a bigger effect on bears since they have a more sensitive sense of smell. Because people spray does not work on bears, something in bear spray must be stronger. Have not found data that states bear spray will not work on people.

Tried my flashlight last night. Blinded my eyes. What is the case with the blinking light being more effective? Understand it is intended to attract attention, but was not aware it was also a deterrent.

Tried my flashlight last night. Blinded my eyes. What is the case with the blinking light being more effective?

It causes disorientation due to over-stimulation of the optic nerves. The optic nerves are the second-shortest nerve paths to the brain, second only to the olfactory nerves.

Remember back in 1997 when flashing lights in a Pokemon episode triggered photosensitive epilepsy in Japanese schoolchildren? The condition is rare, with only about 5% of all epileptics having the photosensitive version, but the ability of rapid flashing lights to cause disorientation (but not seizures) even in non-epileptics gained a lot of attention after that. Rapid flashes— between 5 and 30 times a second— work best in that regard.